Fallen Hero
by Saphire-Moon
Summary: Shikamaru, Lazy, cloud loving, Pineapple Head boy but he will go to any length to protect his comrades and a certain ponytail blonde haired girl. OneShot


**Fallen Hero**

"Shika…" Ino's voice trailed off as he disappeared from her view. Her piercing blue eyes darted to Chouji who stood in a fighting stance. She silently prayed that wherever Shikamaru had disappeared to, was going to help them.

Ino heard the ninja before them chuckle at the two of teammates as if this was going to be the easiest thing in the world. Ino lowered into a fighting stance along side Chouji. "I wouldn't be getting so cocky yet. You still haven't killed us, and it's been quite sometime."

The ninja's eyes widened and he too lowered into a fighting stance, "Little girl, I do believe that your brain has been misled. I have yet to show you even the tiniest amount of my true str-" but before the shinobi could finish it's ramblings, Ino was already running at him a kunai held firmly in her hand.

The shinobi just laughed and grabbed onto her wrist and stopped her before she could cut him with it. Ino snarled at him and pushed up and was about to kick him but with his other hand grabbed her calf. The shinobi threw her to the ground causing a deep crater to form around her.

Ino let out a wail of pain as she made contact. After a moment she pushed herself coughing up blood that was pooling in her mouth. Her piercing blue eyes looked up at the approaching man that held the kunai she had dropped when she had attacked him. Though as he went to slice her with it a familiar silhouette appeared behind the shinobi and Ino couldn't help but laugh as the shinobi realized he was left immobilized. Then was forced to drop the kunai, which Ino quickly picked up.

Slowly she pushed herself off the ground and stared up at him. She raised the kunai but then quickly stopped before she cut him. Her eyes landing on the figure behind him and her hand quickly dropped. "Shikamaru" She muttered. Whatever she did to the shinobi while he was like this, she would do to him.

Shikamaru looked at Ino and then behind her to Chouji who was inflating his arms to a large size. He nodded to them both. "Ready?" He questioned as Chouji walked forward and Ino readied herself to attack as soon as Shikamaru released him.

The two of them nodded and then Shikamaru formed the seal that released the Shinobi. Ino and Choji both attacked, but the shinobi simply smiled and swung his leg and knocked both of them away and then turned around quickly and punched a charging Shikamaru. The three of them landed hard against the ground in different directions. Ino slamming into a brick wall of the building they were fighting behind. Shikamaru and Chouji both went sliding against the dirt.

The shinobi snickered, "Thought you had the upper hand now didn't you" He said turning to face Shikamaru who was still laying on the ground shaking in obvious pain. He started walking towards the hurting ninja but his attention was quickly diverted away from him when he heard the swish of metallic. He turned around to see Ino standing up pulling out another kunai. "Don't know when to give up now do you?" The ninja said snidely and turned away from Shikamaru. "Fine I guess I'll just have to deal with you first." The shinobi grinned as Ino's eyes widen. "WIND OF NEEDLES"

The shinobi began to spin, gathering speed, releasing needles from every inch of his body and as if rooted to her spot Ino could not move from fear. Her hand released the kunai and it silently fell the ground below and her other still was using the wall to support her, as much as her brain screamed to move her limbs did not apply. Her fierce blue eyes widened as she saw the cloud of needles heading in her direction, and as they approached she closed her eyes and prepared for impact and as if finally her muscles complied they lifted in front of her face and chest in a useless effort.

Though the pain never came, the hundreds of needles didn't pierce her skin, the death she had been expecting from the moment he began to spin never over took her. What did happen was the scream from an oh too familiar voice and the warmth of body close to hers. Her eyes opened and horror shook her body. The image before she did not expect, if anything she wished it was not there.

The lazy, cloud loving, pineapple head boy stood before, cut and bruised. Needles protruded from his back making him appear like porcupine. His eyes were closed shut and he whimpered in pain. One arm pinned the horrified girl to the brick wall behind her while the other was slowly slipping against the cold stone.

"Shikamaru?" The name finally tumbled from Ino's lips as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "What are you doing? Why…?" She asked her voice horse and rough. She tensed her grip on his shoulders as she looked at the pain on his face, numerous emotions flooding through her.

"Troublesome woman" Ino's eyes widened as he spoke and she felt as if the ground was falling out from underneath her as she listened to his pain soaked voice. "Couldn't you have just stayed down?" His pain stained voice was faint yet the words that left his mouth were slowly tearing apart the blonde.

"Shikamaru…" She whimpered out as she watched his strength diminish from him as he fell to his knees. His hand still gripping her forearm though with little strength and his other arm had slipped off the brick wall and was holding him up from completely falling to the ground. He coughed and blood spitted out onto the ground below him and his other arm dropped to support him. "SHIKAMARU" Her voice was grief stricken as she watched to life slowly be pulled away from him.

Tears began to stream from her eyes as her hands slipped from his shoulders and cupped his face. "Shikamaru…" She whimpered as with the little strength he had left opened his eyes to look at her. Ino looked at him the tears that fell from her eyes dropped down onto his face as she lowered her head down to him. Her lips lightly brushed his and she faintly whispered. "Thank you for being my hero." The words left her lips and were breathed onto his as the life finally was whisked away from his body.

Ino dropped to her knees cradling the body wailing in pain of loosing her Shikamaru. Her head fell into the crock of his neck blinded by shear grief, anger, regret, and loss. Everything that was around her seemed to disappear, not the shinobi who had taken her Shikamaru away from her, not Chouji who had wailed out in rage and finished off the man who had stolen away his best friend, not the fact that rain had began to spill from the sky as if it too where sharing the grief of the girl.

Chouji turned to face the wailing girl, tears pouring too from his eyes. He grabbed his stomach in pain, but not from the usual hunger pain but the feeling of loss, which wrapped around him and wrenched at his gut. Slowly he made his way over to Ino and knelt down beside her. He wrapped his arm around Ino's shaking shoulder and her head quickly buried itself into his chest and the two of them sat there in the rain rocking each other back and forth, weeping for their fallen hero.


End file.
